Routing of enterprise resource planning messages

ABSTRACT

An Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) gateway is provided for routing of ERP messages to Manufacturing Execution System (MES) applications. The gateway can receive a message from an ERP system via a manufacturing services bus specifying a business objective requiring action at a control level of an enterprise. The received message can be routed to a selected MES application capable of carrying out the business objective based on attributes within the message. Message routing can be based on location tags contained in the message. The message can also be routed to a selected subset of MES applications based on an analysis of respective capabilities and control contexts of the MES applications. Messages can be routed between the ERP system and the MES applications via the manufacturing services bus, which can manage protocol transformations for a heterogeneous set of applications.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of, and claims priority to, U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/676,998, filed on Nov. 14, 2012, andentitled “ROUTING OF ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING MESSAGES,” whichclaims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.61/560,218, filed on Nov. 15, 2011, and U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/560,216, filed on Nov. 15, 2011. The entiretiesof these applications are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The subject application relates generally to industrial control, and,more particularly, to a manufacturing services bus architecture forrouting Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) messages to selectedManufacturing Execution System (MES) applications.

BACKGROUND

Industrial controllers and their associated control programming arecentral to the operation of modern industrial automation systems. Thesecontrollers interact with field devices on the plant floor to carry outcontrolled processes relating to such objectives as manufacture of aproduct, material handling, batch processing, waste water treatment, andother such processes. Industrial controllers store and executeuser-defined control programs to effect decision-making in connectionwith the controlled process. Such programs can include, but are notlimited to, ladder logic, sequential function charts, function blockdiagrams, structured text, or other such platforms.

The various control systems that make up an enterprise are sometimescollectively managed by a Manufacturing Execution System (MES), whichmonitors real-time data from the plant floor and issues controlmanagement instructions in view of higher level business considerations,such as order management, resource management, inventory, scheduling,etc. In an enterprise comprising multiple production areas, or multiplegeographically diverse facilities, the MES system may comprise multipleMES applications corresponding to the respective areas or facilities.

Plant floor operations, including control of industrial processes by theindustrial controllers described above, represent one component of alarger business enterprise. On a higher level, business operations suchas financial analysis, marketing, sales, order management, long termbusiness planning, resource management, inventory management, and thelike collectively represent another element of the enterprise. Manyorganizations employ an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system orsimilar business system to correlate and manage these business levelfunctions in a cohesive manner.

Although business level and plant floor level operations are related toand dependent upon one another, the two levels are often only looselyintegrated, with slow (e.g., non-real-time, non-automated) informationexchange between the two. Moreover, efforts to integrate higher levelbusiness systems with plant-side control can be hindered by the need forspecialized programming code, necessitating involvement of experiencedprogrammers or IT personnel who may have limited understanding of boththe business-side and plant-side operations compared with management orfactory personnel.

The above-described deficiencies of today's industrial control andbusiness systems are merely intended to provide an overview of some ofthe problems of conventional systems, and are not intended to beexhaustive. Other problems with conventional systems and correspondingbenefits of the various non-limiting embodiments described herein maybecome further apparent upon review of the following description.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basicunderstanding of some aspects described herein. This summary is not anextensive overview nor is intended to identify key/critical elements orto delineate the scope of the various aspects described herein. Its solepurpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude tothe more detailed description that is presented later.

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the use of agateway and bus architecture to route received ERP messages to one ormore MES applications. To this end, a manufacturing services bus canprovide a platform by which business-level requests, such as thosegenerated by an ERP system, can be transformed and routed to selectedMES applications (or other enterprise applications subscribed to thebus) to facilitate execution of the request at the control level. Themanufacturing services bus can include an ERP gateway, which can receiveand analyze the ERP request in view of current control contexts reportedby the respective MES applications. The gateway can include anoptimization algorithm that considers the contents of the ERP requesttogether with the current control statuses reported by the MESapplications (e.g., machine or facility statuses, energy or materialconstraints, work schedules, etc.), and determines a preferred set ofone or more MES applications to which the ERP message is to be routed tobest achieve the desired result given a specified set of decisioncriteria.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certainillustrative aspects are described herein in connection with thefollowing description and the annexed drawings. These aspects areindicative of various ways which can be practiced, all of which areintended to be covered herein. Other advantages and novel features maybecome apparent from the following detailed description when consideredin conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a high-level overview the relationships between an ERP system,an MES system, and control systems of an exemplary enterprise.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of exemplary data flows between an ERP system,an MES system, and a control system.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary message transformation and deliveryplatform.

FIG. 4 illustrates message routing using an exemplary ERP gateway.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary ERP gateway that that employsoptimization to dynamically route ERP messages.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary messaging scenario between an ERP systemand an MES system via an ERP gateway.

FIG. 7 illustrates message routing between an ERP system and multipleheterogeneous systems via a manufacturing services bus.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an example methodology for routing an ERPmessage to an MES application.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an example methodology for routing a messagebased on a current control context.

FIG. 10 is an example computing environment.

FIG. 11 is an example networking environment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject disclosure is now described with reference to the drawings,wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elementsthroughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation,numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the subjectdisclosure can be practiced without these specific details. In otherinstances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagramform in order to facilitate a description thereof.

As used in this application, the terms “component,” “system,”“platform,” “layer,” “controller,” “terminal,” “station,” “node,”“interface” are intended to refer to a computer-related entity or anentity related to, or that is part of, an operational apparatus with oneor more specific functionalities, wherein such entities can be eitherhardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or softwarein execution. For example, a component can be, but is not limited tobeing, a process running on a processor, a processor, a hard disk drive,multiple storage drives (of optical or magnetic storage medium)including affixed (e.g., screwed or bolted) or removably affixedsolid-state storage drives; an object; an executable; a thread ofexecution; a computer-executable program, and/or a computer. By way ofillustration, both an application running on a server and the server canbe a component. One or more components can reside within a processand/or thread of execution, and a component can be localized on onecomputer and/or distributed between two or more computers. Also,components as described herein can execute from various computerreadable storage media having various data structures stored thereon.The components may communicate via local and/or remote processes such asin accordance with a signal having one or more data packets (e.g., datafrom one component interacting with another component in a local system,distributed system, and/or across a network such as the Internet withother systems via the signal). As another example, a component can be anapparatus with specific functionality provided by mechanical partsoperated by electric or electronic circuitry which is operated by asoftware or a firmware application executed by a processor, wherein theprocessor can be internal or external to the apparatus and executes atleast a part of the software or firmware application. As yet anotherexample, a component can be an apparatus that provides specificfunctionality through electronic components without mechanical parts,the electronic components can include a processor therein to executesoftware or firmware that provides at least in part the functionality ofthe electronic components. As further yet another example, interface(s)can include input/output (I/O) components as well as associatedprocessor, application, or Application Programming Interface (API)components. While the foregoing examples are directed to aspects of acomponent, the exemplified aspects or features also apply to a system,platform, interface, layer, controller, terminal, and the like.

As used herein, the terms “to infer” and “inference” refer generally tothe process of reasoning about or inferring states of the system,environment, and/or user from a set of observations as captured viaevents and/or data. Inference can be employed to identify a specificcontext or action, or can generate a probability distribution overstates, for example. The inference can be probabilistic—that is, thecomputation of a probability distribution over states of interest basedon a consideration of data and events. Inference can also refer totechniques employed for composing higher-level events from a set ofevents and/or data. Such inference results in the construction of newevents or actions from a set of observed events and/or stored eventdata, whether or not the events are correlated in close temporalproximity, and whether the events and data come from one or severalevent and data sources.

In addition, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” ratherthan an exclusive “or.” That is, unless specified otherwise, or clearfrom the context, the phrase “X employs A or B” is intended to mean anyof the natural inclusive permutations. That is, the phrase “X employs Aor B” is satisfied by any of the following instances: X employs A; Xemploys B; or X employs both A and B. In addition, the articles “a” and“an” as used in this application and the appended claims shouldgenerally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwiseor clear from the context to be directed to a singular form.

Furthermore, the term “set” as employed herein excludes the empty set;e.g., the set with no elements therein. Thus, a “set” in the subjectdisclosure includes one or more elements or entities. As anillustration, a set of controllers includes one or more controllers; aset of data resources includes one or more data resources; etc.Likewise, the term “group” as utilized herein refers to a collection ofone or more entities; e.g., a group of nodes refers to one or morenodes.

Various aspects or features will be presented in terms of systems thatmay include a number of devices, components, modules, and the like. Itis to be understood and appreciated that the various systems may includeadditional devices, components, modules, etc. and/or may not include allof the devices, components, modules etc. discussed in connection withthe figures. A combination of these approaches also can be used.

FIG. 1 illustrates a high-level overview of the relationships between anERP system 102, an MES system 104, and control systems 108, 110, and 112of an exemplary enterprise. In accordance with ISA-95 definitions, theseentities are depicted as residing, respectively, on a Business Planningand Logistics level (Level 4), a Manufacturing Operations Managementlevel (Level 3), and a Control level (Levels 0-2). ERP system 102 can beused to integrate and collectively manage high-level businessoperations, such as finance, sales, order management, marketing, humanresources, or other such business functions. ERP system 102 can serve asa high-level business planning tool that, stated broadly, is directed tolonger-term business decision-making relative to operations at thecontrol level, which generally focus on substantially real-timeproduction concerns.

One or more control systems 108-112 can operate within respectiveproduction areas 106 ₁-106 _(N) at the control level. Exemplary types ofcontrol systems can include, but are not limited to, batch controlsystems 108 _(1-N) (e.g., mixing systems), continuous control systems110 _(1-N) (e.g., PID control systems), or discrete control systems 112_(1-N). These control systems can include one or more industrialcontrollers that facilitate monitoring and control of their respectiveprocesses. The controllers exchange data with the field devices usingnative hardwired I/O or via a plant network such as Ethernet/IP, DataHighway Plus, ControlNet, Devicenet, or the like. A given controllertypically receives any combination of digital or analog signals from thefield devices indicating a current state of the devices and theirassociated processes (e.g., temperature, position, part presence orabsence, fluid level, etc.), and executes a user-defined control programthat performs automated decision-making for the controlled processesbased on the received signals. The controller then outputs appropriatedigital and/or analog control signaling to the field devices inaccordance with the decisions made by the control program. These outputscan include device actuation signals, temperature or position controlsignals, operational commands to a machining or material handling robot,mixer control signals, motor control signals, and the like. The controlprogram can comprise any conceivable type of code used to process inputsignals read into the controller and to control output signals generatedby the controller, including but not limited to ladder logic, sequentialfunction charts, function block diagrams, structured text, or other suchplatforms.

Manufacturing Execution System (MES) 104 can monitor and manage controloperations on the control level given higher-level businessconsiderations. An exemplary MES system can be provided with informationrelating one or more of scheduling, work order management and execution,business operating procedures, resource management, quality criteria,inventory management, and the like. Given this high-level businessinformation, MES system 104 can monitor control systems 108, 110, and/or112 and issue control management instructions designed to alignoperations at the control level with medium-term or long-term goals ofthe organization as a whole.

Production areas 106 ₁-106 _(N) can represent different areas within asingle plant, corresponding, for example, to different segments of agiven manufacturing process, different products, etc. Alternatively orin addition, Production areas 106 ₁-106 _(N) can represent facilitieslocated at different geographical locations associated with a givenenterprise. In such architectures, a central MES system 104 can monitorand manage multiple control systems at different geographically diversefacilities, providing coordination between the facilities in view of acommon business objective.

While a single MES system 104 is illustrated in the overview of FIG. 1,it is to be appreciated that a given enterprise may comprise multipleMES systems. For example, an enterprise comprising multiple plantfacilities may employ an MES system at each facility, where each MESsystem collectively manages the control systems that make up thatsystem's facility. Since these different facilities collectivelycomprise the control level of a common enterprise, a single ERP system(or other business-level system) can execute collective businessplanning functions for the enterprise as a whole and dispatchbusiness-driven requests to all the MES systems making up theenterprise. As will be discussed in more detail infra, the ERP gatewayand manufacturing services bus architecture of the present disclosurecan facilitate intelligent routing of ERP messages to the various MESapplications.

FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary data flows between an ERP system, an MESsystem, and a control system according to one or more embodiments of thepresent disclosure. It is to be appreciated that control system 214 cancomprise a single self-contained control system or multiple distributedcontrol systems. Moreover, control system 214 can span multiplegeographic locations, where individual control systems at the multiplelocations report to a common MES system 208. Likewise, MES system 208can comprise multiple MES applications that each collectively managecontrol systems at different areas of a facility, or at differentfacilities, as described above.

ERP system 202 (or a similar business system) can issue an ERP request204 to MES system 208. Such requests can include, but are not limitedto, production requests, business goals, customer order information,resource allocation requests, or other such requests. A productionrequest can comprise, for example, a request from the ERP system toproduce a specified quantity of a product. In such cases, ERP system 202may not have knowledge of the particular control architecture orstatuses of control system 214, machine availability, work schedules, orother plant floor variables involved in fulfilling the request. Givenits ability to monitor and maintain these control-side factors, MESsystem can receive this production request from the ERP system 202 anddetermine one or more possible workflows for producing the desiredamount of the indicated product based on an analysis of the overallcontrol system architecture, machine availabilities, work schedules, orother plant floor variables involved in fulfilling the request. Forexample, the MES system can determine which machines are available andcapable of producing the desired amount of the product, a suitablecontrol strategy to be executed by the machines to satisfy the order(e.g., a batching sequence, a number of batches that must be run toproduce the desired amount, etc.). The ERP can then transform a suitableworkflow into an output executable by the control system to implementthe workflow, using techniques to be described in more detail infra.Upon completion of (or during) the workflow, the MES system can providethe ERP system with report feedback at a desired level of granularity.

A business goal can comprise more a complicated request involvingcorrelation of a plurality of factors. For example, the ERP system canissue a request to the MES system 208 to minimize energy consumption forthe plant as a whole during a specified range of hours, whilesimultaneously maximizing production of an indicated product given theenergy constraint. As with the production request, this request can beprocessed by MES system 208 and mapped to an appropriate control systemworkflow. Other exemplary ERP requests can include customer orderrequests, resource allocation requests, or any other business requestgenerated by ERP system 202.

As noted above, MES system 208 can map incoming ERP request 204 to asuitable workflow for execution by the MES system. In connection withgenerating this workflow, MES system can identify machines or devicesthat can be leveraged to fulfill the business request, as well as theirassociated controllers. MES system 208 can then translate the workflowto an executable output 210 capable of execution by the identifiedcontrollers. This executable output 210 can comprise any suitable formatunderstandable by the controllers, including, without limitation,sequential function charts, ladder logic, function block diagrams,structured text, distributed control agents, and the like. Executableoutput 210 can also comprise control output signals mapped to tags orother I/O associated with the controllers.

In addition to providing workflow instructions, MES system 208 canmonitor and receive control data 212 from control system 214. Examplesof such control data include production data, machine statuses, alarms,process measurements (e.g., telemetry values), resource statuses, orother data made available by control system 214. Among other uses, MESsystem 208 can employ this control data to update system models used toselect suitable workflows. MES system 208 can also employ the controldata 212 to generate report data 206 for provision to ERP system 202.Report data 206 can include result data relating to implementation ofthe ERP request 204, presented at a desired level of granularity. Forexample, ERP system 202 may only require an indication that a productionrequest specified by ERP request 204 was fulfilled, but does not requiredetails regarding the particular equipment used or number of productioncycles run in connection with completing the request. Accordingly, MESsystem 208 can be configured to omit such production details from reportdata 206.

It is to be appreciated that any suitable communication protocol can beused to affect the data exchanges described above. For example, ERPrequests can be received by the MES system 208 in Business toManufacturing Markup Language (b2MML), which is an XML implementation ofthe ANSI/ISA 95 family of standards. However, other suitablecommunication formats and protocols are also contemplated and are withinthe scope of the present disclosure.

The foregoing is intended to provide a general overview of therelationships and types of data exchange between the ERP system, MESsystem, and control system. One or more embodiments of the presentdisclosure provide an ERP gateway configured to receive an ERP request(such as ERP request 204 of FIG. 2) and to route the request via amanufacturing services bus to one or more selected MES systems forexecution. To this end, the ERP gateway can collect current controlcontext information from the various MES systems subscribed to the bus.This control context information can include, for example, machinestatuses and availability, facility or production line work schedules,resource inventory statuses, energy constraints at a given facility,process capabilities at the respective facilities or production lines,or other such control-level context information. The ERP gateway canthen leverage an optimization algorithm to select one or more MESsystems best suited to execute the ERP request based on the controlcontexts and information included in the ERP request. These aspects arediscussed in more detail below.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary message transformation and deliveryplatform according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.A manufacturing services bus 308 is used to integrate ERP and MESsystems under a flexible and intelligent message exchange architecture.In this exemplary overview, an ERP system 302 and multiple MESapplications 312 are subscribed to the manufacturing services bus 308.Manufacturing services bus 308 can include integrated transformation androuting features that facilitate message exchange between the ERS system302 and MES applications 312, even if the respective systems utilizedifferent messaging formats and protocols. By configuring manufacturingservices bus 308 to perform the message format transformations, a systemsubscribed to the bus can exchange messaging with other systems on thebus without being aware of the message formats utilized by the othersystems. Also, manufacturing services bus 308 can be configured withrules that control how messages received at the bus are routed, as wellas integrated security features to prevent routing of unauthorizedmessages.

MES applications 312 can respectively comprise MES systems correspondingto different manufacturing facilities of an enterprise, or differentwork areas within a single facility. Each MES application 312 canprovide coordinated management of respective control systems 314. Eachcontrol system 314 can comprise multiple control systems of a givenfacility, under the collective management of an MES application 312. ERPsystem 302 (or a similar business system) integrates information frommultiple departments of the enterprise (e.g., finance, sales, marketing,order processing, human resources, etc.) and performs enterpriseresource planning functions for the enterprise as a whole based on thisbusiness-side information. One such function involves generation ofbusiness requests for distribution to the control level for execution.Exemplary business requests generated by ERP system 302 can include, butare not limited to, requests for a specified amount of an indicatedproduct to be produced, a customer order to be filled, a business-drivenconstraint on plant operation (e.g., a request to minimize overall plantenergy usage at specified peak hours of the week while maximizing outputof a preferred product), or other such business-level objectivesrequiring altered operation at the control level.

To facilitate routing of messages from ERP system 302, the manufacturingservices bus 308 can include an ERP gateway 310 configured to receive,transform, and route messages from ERP system 302. Upon receipt of anERP message, ERP gateway 310 can determine a preferred set of one ormore MES applications 312 for carrying out the business request encodedin the ERP message, perform any necessary format transformations in viewof the destination applications, and route the message to the identifiedsubset of MES applications 312 via manufacturing services bus 308. Uponreceipt of the message, MES applications 312 execute necessary workflowsfor carrying out the request, including providing instructions tocontrol systems 314 to facilitate execution of the request (as will bediscussed in more detail infra). When the MES applications 312 haveconfirmed completion of the workflows (or upon completion ofintermediate milestone steps during execution of the workflows), MESapplications 312 can send report data back to the ERP gateway 310 viathe manufacturing services bus 308. ERP gateway 310 can transform thereceived MES data to the format utilized by the ERP system and deliverthe message.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, other applications can be subscribed tomanufacturing services bus 308, including, but not limited to, processoptimization application 304 and visualization application 306. Throughtheir subscription to the manufacturing services bus 308, theseapplications can also receive messages from ERP gateway 310. Forexample, ERP gateway 310 can route business request messages to thevisualization application 306 to be rendered in human-readable form forreview by business-level or plant-level personnel. In the oppositedirection, parameter or instruction data entered by a user at thevisualization application 306 can be routed to ERP gateway 310 for entryin the ERP system 302. ERP gateway 310 can also transform and route ERPrequest messages to process optimization application 304, which canleverage neural networking and one or more process models to predict howone or more business-level or control-level variables will be impactedas a result of carrying out the ERP request. Other exemplaryapplications that can be subscribed to manufacturing services bus 308can include, without limitation, data historians, reportingapplications, human-machine interfaces (HMIs), and the like.

FIG. 4 illustrates message routing using an exemplary ERP gateway.Manufacturing services bus 402 can include ERP gateway 418 for routingmessages between a business-level management system, such as an ERPsystem, and MES applications 422. Although ERP gateway 418 is depictedin this example as being integrated with the manufacturing services bus402, it is also contemplated that ERP gateway 418 can be a separateentity that works in conjunction with manufacturing services bus 402 tofacilitate ERP message routing. In this example, ERP message 406 isreceived at ERP gateway 418 from the ERP system via manufacturingservices bus 402. ERP message 406 can comprise a business-driven requestor objective generated by the ERP system, such as a production request,a customer order, a resource allocation request, an instruction tominimize plant energy consumption during indicated hours, specificationof a product to be given manufacturing preference given a resourceconstraint, or other such requests.

Upon receipt of ERP message 406, ERP gateway 418 can pass the request toincoming transform component 410, which can convert a data format of theERP message 406 to a format compatible with MES application(s) 422. Forexample, the ERP system from which ERP message 406 was received may beconfigured to send business requests in the form of B2MML (Business toManufacturing Markup Language) messages, while one or more MESapplications 422 may be configured to receive messages using JavaMessage Service (JMS). Accordingly, incoming transform component 410 canconvert the B2MML message 406 for communication using JMS. AlthoughB2MML and JMS are described in this example, it is to be appreciatedthat any suitable messaging format is within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

After transformation, the converted ERP message 406 is provided tomessage routing component 412 to be routed to one or more selected MESapplications. In order to identify which MES applications 422 are toreceive and process the ERP message, the ERP message is provided to aparsing component 414, which can parse the message to identifyattributes within the message that can be leveraged to dynamicallyidentify one or more destination MES applications 422. According to oneor more embodiments, ERP message 406 can include one or more locationtags 420 indicating which MES application 422 should receive the messagefor processing. These attribute tags can embedded into ERP message 406by the ERP system when ERP message 406 is generated. Parsing component414 can extract these location tags 420 and pass them to locationcomponent 416, which can identify the appropriate destination MESapplication based on data contained in the location tags 420.

In one or more embodiments, location tags 420 can specify thedestination MES application explicitly. Alternatively, location tags 420can indicate a particular control system, plant facility, productionline, machine, or other plant-side element to be involved in executingthe business objective specified in ERP message 406. In such cases,location component 416 can cross-reference the indicated control elementspecified by the location tag with the particular MES application 422that manages the control element, and instruct the message routingcomponent 412 to deliver the message to the identified application. Inorder to determine which MES application is responsible for managing theindicated control element, one or more embodiments of ERP gateway 418can poll MES applications 422 directly to ascertain which application isresponsible for managing the control element. Alternatively, ERP gateway418 can maintain a lookup table that defines associations betweenlocation tags and MES applications, and location component 416 canaccess this lookup table upon receipt of the location tags 420 toidentify the appropriate destination application. Once locationcomponent 416 has resolved the destination application based on thelocation tags 420, the location component can direct the message routingcomponent 412 to route the message to the identified destinationapplication.

In the reverse direction, MES applications 422 can send messages viamanufacturing services bus 402 for delivery to the ERP system. Thesemessages can comprise, for example, report data generated by the MESapplications 422 in response to execution of a business goal defined inERP message 406. Messages from MES applications 422 can be received bymessage routing component 412 of ERP gateway 418 and delivered to anoutgoing transform component 408, which can convert a data structure ofthe outgoing message to a format compatible with the ERP system. Forexample, if an MES application 422 delivers a message using Java MessageService (JMS), outgoing transform component 408 can convert suchmessages to B2MML for delivery to the ERP system as report data 404.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary ERP gateway that that employsoptimization to dynamically route ERP messages. As in previous examples,manufacturing services bus 502 can include or work in conjunction withan ERP gateway 506. ERP message 504 is received by ERP gateway 506 froma business system, such as an ERP system, over manufacturing servicesbus 502. The message is transformed into a format compatible with theMES applications 520 (e.g. JMS). The message is then routed to messagerouting component 510 for routing to a selected subset of MESapplications 520 most suitable for carrying out the business requestencoded in ERP message 504. In general, ERP gateway 506 seeks toidentify which MES application (or set of applications) is capable ofcarrying out the business request in a preferred manner given currentcontrol conditions, a criterion included in the ERP message 504 ordefined in ERP gateway 506, or other suitable decision factors.

To these ends, message routing component 510 can route incoming messagesin accordance with instructions provide by an associated locationcomponent, which identifies applications to be leveraged for executionof the business objective specified by ERP message 504 based on a numberof factors to be explained in more detail below. ERP message 504 ispassed to parsing component 512 (either directly upon receipt of themessage, or after translation into a suitable data format by incomingtransform component 508). The parsing component 512 can analyze themessage to identify the business request encoded in the message and anyparameters or criteria associated therewith. For example, if thebusiness request of ERP message 504 is a customer order for a definedquantity of a specified product, parsing component 512 can identify thespecified product, the quantity, and any timeframe information includedin the request (e.g., a deadline to fulfill the order). In anotherexample, if the business request is a mandate that production of aspecified product is to be given production priority given a definedenergy constraint during peak energy hours, parsing component 512 canbreak down the request to identify the preferred product to beoptimized, the energy constraint (e.g., the maximum desired energyconsumption for the plant as a whole), and the hours for which theenergy constraint is to be in effect. Parsing component 512 can alsoidentify any location tags encoded within the message if such tags arepresent.

These identified elements of the business request can then be passed toan optimization component 518 for correlation with a number ofadditional factors to facilitate selection of MES applications bestsuited to carry out the business request. In one or more embodiments,optimization component 518 can leverage substantially real-time controlcontext information 522 provided by the MES applications 520. Thiscontext information 522 can comprise information regarding thecapabilities, architecture, and statuses of the control systemsassociated with the respective MES applications 520. Exemplary controlcontext information 522 can include, but are not limited to, machinestatuses, capabilities of the respective control systems, or unexpectedor planned machine downtimes. This context information 522 can beretrieved from the MES applications 520 by an MES query component 516,which can query the MES applications 520 for the desired information andprovide the control contexts to the optimization component 518 forcorrelation with the business request parameters generated by theparsing component 512.

Optimization component 518 can comprise an algorithm configured tocorrelate the business request parameters with the current controlcontext information 522 provided by the MES applications 520 to identifya subset of MES applications 520 best capable of satisfying the businessrequest defined in ERP message 504. In one or more embodiments,optimization component 518 can make this selection in accordance withone or more defined criteria 524. An exemplary criterion can include,for example, a stipulation that the subset of MES applications 520should be selected to achieve the business objective in the least amountof time. When guided by such a criterion, optimization component 518 maydetermine that multiple combinations of MES applications (and associatedcontrol systems) are capable of satisfying the business objective, andwill select the combination identified as being capable of satisfyingthe objective in the least amount of time. In another example, criterion524 can stipulate that minimization of energy consumption should be theoverriding selection factor. Accordingly, the combination of MESapplications 520 capable of achieving the business goal with the leastconsumption of energy will be selected from the multiple possiblecombinations by the optimization component. Other exemplary criteria caninclude, without limitation, minimization of man-hours, minimization ofmaterial cost, smallest impact on production of a specified product, orother suitable criteria.

These criteria 524 can be generated by the ERP system as part of thebusiness objective and included in ERP message 504. Alternatively,criteria 524 can be configured as one or more rules defined on the ERPgateway 506. In such embodiments, ERP gateway 506 can be configured toprocess all incoming ERP messages in view of the selection criteria 524.Moreover, one or more embodiments of ERP gateway 506 can dynamicallyselect a criterion from a set of criteria 524 based on informationincluded in the ERP message 504, such as a category of business request,a criterion selection field, metadata associated with the message, orother such information. One or more embodiments of ERP gateway 506 canalso allow different criteria to be associated with different times ofday or days of the week, such that the criteria considered by theoptimization component is a function of the time at which ERP message504 is received. For example, in order to control energy costs byshaving peak energy demand, a user may desire that all control-levelactivities be subservient to the goal of minimizing energy usage duringspecified peak demand hours. Accordingly, optimization component 518 canbe configured to employ “minimize energy consumption” as the criterionfor MES application selection during peak demand hours, and to employ“minimize time” as the criterion at all other times. In this way, ERPmessages can be automatically routed to suitable MES applicationsaccording to dynamically changing criteria in accordance with businesspreferences.

Based on one or more of information contained in the ERP message 504,context information 522, and criteria 524, optimization component 518can identify a subset of MES applications 520 best capable of satisfyingthe business goal defined by ERP message 504 while simultaneouslysatisfying criteria 524. These results can be passed to the locationcomponent 514, which can instruct message routing component 510 to routethe message to the one or more MES applications identified by theoptimization component.

Although the preceding examples have been described in terms ofcommunication of ERP data to one or more MES applications, it is to beappreciated that ERP data can be routed to any type of applicationsubscribed to manufacturing services bus 502, including visualizationapplications, process optimization applications, data historians,reporting systems, and the like. As noted above, the manufacturingservices bus can be configured to perform the necessary data formatconversions to facilitate message exchange between a range ofheterogeneous applications.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary messaging scenario between an ERP systemand an MES system via an ERP gateway according to one or moreembodiments of the present disclosure. In the present example, businessrequest 604 is received at the ERP gateway 602. The business request 604can be received, for example, from an ERP system or other high-levelbusiness management system as a b2MML message via a manufacturingservices bus 628. Business request 604 can represent, for example, aproduction request from the business level of the enterprise, a customerorder to be fulfilled, a schedule of plant operations, a set of businessconstraints that require modification of plant operation, or other suchrequests originating at the business level and affecting the controllevel of the enterprise.

The ERP gateway 602 can provide a flexible mechanism for interfacing MESsystem 618 with substantially any type of business system for exchangeof business and production information. The ERP gateway 602 can manageformat transformation and routing of the business request 604 to the MESsystem 618 to be mapped to one or more suitable activity sets.

To facilitate flexible configuration of the MES system for operationwith a range of ERP or other business systems, ERP gateway 602 can beconfigured prior to deployment for compatibility with a specificbusiness system in use. An associated graphical interface 630 can guidea developer through this configuration process. In one or moreembodiments, ERP gateway 602 can be pre-bundled with selectableconfigurations corresponding to common existing ERP or other businesssystems. Graphical interface 630 can also allow selection of an expecteddata format (e.g., b2MML) in which data is to be exchanged between theMES system and the ERP system. During runtime, business request 604 canbe received by the configured ERP gateway 602, and transformed by anassociated transform component 606 from a data format used by the ERPsystem (e.g., B2MML) to a format understandable by MES system 618. Inone or more embodiments, the transform component 606 can convert thebusiness request 604 for communication to the MES system 618 using JavaMessage Service (JMS), although any suitable messaging format is withinthe scope of the present disclosure.

The transformed business request can pass the transformed businessrequest 604 to routing component 610 or routing to the MES system 618.The target MES application is determined by location component 608 basedin part on contents of the business request (e.g., parameters identifiedwithin the request, location tags embedded in the request message,etc.). Location component 608 can also determine a destination MESapplication based in part on an analysis by optimization component 612,which can correlate one or more of the request contents, current controlcontext reported by one or more MES applications, or one or moreselection criteria provided in the request or preconfigured in thegateway configuration. Upon resolution of a destination MES system 618,location component 608 can instruct routing component 610 to send theresulting executable request 616 to the identified application viamanufacturing services bus 628. Details of the business request can bearchived in local storage 614 associated with ERP gateway 602. Thearchived business request information can be viewed graphical interface630 for later review, or accessed by optimization component 612 ascriteria for routing future messages.

Executable request 616 can be passed to a mapping component 622 of theMES system, which analyzes the request in view of the current controlcontext 620 of the plant in order to match a subset of activity sets 624with the request 616. An activity set can define a series of activitiesor a workflow for achieving a particular business goal. The activity setcan define the activities in terms of the control or business functionsto be performed, the order of operation for the steps, the designatedmachines or devices required to perform each step, or any otherinformation required to fully define the control activity represented bythe activity set. The scope of a given activity set can be limited to asingle device, or can encompass multiple machines coordinated by the MESsystem to perform a distributed control operation in response to areceived business request. The workflow defined by an activity set canencompass both control-level activities and higher business-levelactivities acting in conjunction, thereby coordinating all levels of theenterprise to the end of satisfying the defined business goal. To thisend, in addition to control operations, the activity sets can defineinteractions to be performed between the MES system and the ERP systemrelative to the defined sequence of control instructions. For example,it may be desired to provide validation feedback to the ERP system whena particular step of the control sequence associated with the activityset has been completed, or to provide an error message to the ERP systemif a particular step of the control sequence fails or times out. Suchfeedback steps can be encoded in the activity set together with thecontrol sequence activities. MES system 618 can include a library ofgeneralized industry-specific activity sets, which can be bound to auser's particular control context via controller tag mapping duringinitial configuration.

Activity sets 624 can comprise customized activity sets that have beenbound to selected controller tags of the control system. Based on thecontent of executable request 616 and the control context 620, mappingcomponent 622 can select a suitable activity set 626 capable ofsatisfying the business request represented by executable request 616.Control context 620 can include such pre-configured or substantiallyreal-time information as machine statuses and availability, thearchitecture and capabilities of the control system, current machine orsystem downtime information, work schedules, or other informationrelevant to execution of the business request. Control context 620 canbe provided manually by a user or generated automatically based onreal-time monitoring of the control system by the MES system 618.

As an example of how control context 620 can be used to facilitateselection of an activity set, consider a business request representing acustomer order for a specified quantity of a selected product. In thisexample, the order is received from an ERP system as business request604 and routed to MES system 618 by ERP gateway 602. Since the ERPsystem has no knowledge of the particular control context on the plantfloor for fulfilling this request, the request includes no indication ofwhich particular machines or process lines are to be used to satisfy theorder. Upon receiving executable request 716 corresponding to businessrequest 604, mapping component 622 can leverage the control context 620to identify machines capable of fulfilling the request, the process thatmust be executed on these machines to produce the desired quantity ofthe product, and the current status and availability of the respectivemachines. Based on this information, mapping component 622 can select anactivity set 626 corresponding to the identified process for executionon the identified machines. In some cases, the stored activity sets 624may include different activity sets corresponding to the same process,but intended for execution on different machines (e.g., two differentmixers having different control characteristics). If the differentmachines are capable of producing the ordered product, mapping component622 can leverage control context 620 to determine a preferred machine onwhich to execute the order based on efficiency, respective machineavailabilities, maintenance cycles, load balancing, or other suchconsiderations made available by control context 620. In anotherexample, the same activity set may be executable on different machines.Therefore, rather than selecting an activity set corresponding to apreferred machine, MES system 618 can select the activity set common tothe different machines and select a target machine for the activity setbased on the control context 620. Moreover, since a product quantity isassociated with the customer order, this product quantity informationcan be passed from the executable request to the selected activity setas a variable, since the selected activity set may be generalized interms of product quantity.

FIG. 7 illustrates message routing to a visualization system, anoptimization system, and a data historian using an exemplary ERPgateway. In addition to MES applications, ERP gateway 718 is capable ofrouting messages to other diverse types of systems that utilizedifferent data messaging formats. For example, a visualization system722, an optimization 724, and a data historian 726 can be subscribed tomanufacturing services bus 702. Each application 722, 724, and 726 canutilize a different messaging format for sending and receiving messages(e.g., B2MML, JMS, etc.). The bus 702 can include an ERP gateway 718 fortransforming and routing messages from a business system (e.g., an ERPsystem) to the respective applications 722, 724, and 726.

In this example, ERP message 706 is received at gateway 718 from the ERPsystem via bus 702. Although an ERP message is depicted in this example,message 706 can also comprise a message from another business-level orcontrol-level application subscribed to bus 702. ERP message 706 cancomprise a business-driven request or objective generated by the ERPsystem, such as a production request, a customer order, a resourceallocation request, an instruction to minimize plant energy consumptionduring indicated hours, specification of a product to be givenmanufacturing preference given a resource constraint, or other suchrequests.

Visualization system 722 may wish to subscribe to receive the ERPmessage in order to render the message on a display screen. For example,visualization system 722 may be configured to receive ERP messages andrender them in a graphical form for review by management or plantpersonnel. Optimization system 724 may be configured to leverage neuralnetworking and one or more process models to predict how one or morebusiness-level or control-level variables will be impacted as a resultof carrying out the ERP request encoded in the message. Data historian726 may be configured to archive a history of ERP request and associatedreport data, and is therefore subscribed to manufacturing services busto receive the ERP messages.

Upon receipt of ERP message 706, gateway 718 can pass the request toincoming transform component 710, which can convert the message to aformat compatible with one of the visualization system 722, theoptimization system 724, or the data historian 726. For example, the ERPsystem from which ERP message 406 was received may be configured to sendbusiness requests in the form of B2MML (Business to Manufacturing MarkupLanguage) messages, while one or more of applications 722, 721, and 726may be configured to receive messages using Java Message Service (JMS).Accordingly, incoming transform component 710 can convert the B2MMLmessage 706 for communication using JMS. Although B2MML and JMS aredescribed in this example, it is to be appreciated that any suitablemessaging format is within the scope of the present disclosure.

After transformation, the converted ERP message 706 is provided tomessage routing component 712 to be routed to one or more selectedapplications. In order to identify which applications are to receive andprocess the ERP message, the ERP message is provided to a parsingcomponent 714, which can parse the message to identify attributes withinthe message that can be leveraged to dynamically identify one or moredestination applications. As in previous examples, ERP message 706 caninclude one or more location tags 720 indicating which MES applicationsshould receive the message for processing. These attribute tags canembedded into message 706 by the ERP system when the message 706 isgenerated. Parsing component 714 can extract these location tags 720 andpass them to location component 716, which can identify the appropriatedestination applications based on data contained in the location tags720.

In the reverse direction, applications 722, 724, and 726 can sendmessages via bus 702 for delivery to the ERP system. These messages cancomprise, for example, user input data from the visualization system722, optimization recommendations generated by the optimization system724, or data being retrieved from data historian 726. Messages fromapplications subscribed to the bus can be received by the routingcomponent 712 of gateway 718 and delivered to an outgoing transformcomponent 708, which can convert a data structure of the outgoingmessage to a format compatible with the ERP system (or other destinationsystem). For example, if an application delivers a message using JavaMessage Service (JMS), outgoing transform component 708 can convert suchmessages to B2MML for delivery to the ERP system as return data 704.

FIGS. 8-9 illustrate various methodologies in accordance with one ormore embodiments of the subject application. While, for purposes ofsimplicity of explanation, the one or more methodologies shown hereinare shown and described as a series of acts, it is to be understood andappreciated that the subject innovation is not limited by the order ofacts, as some acts may, in accordance therewith, occur in a differentorder and/or concurrently with other acts from that shown and describedherein. For example, those skilled in the art will understand andappreciate that a methodology could alternatively be represented as aseries of interrelated states or events, such as in a state diagram.Moreover, not all illustrated acts may be required to implement amethodology in accordance with the innovation. Furthermore, interactiondiagram(s) may represent methodologies, or methods, in accordance withthe subject disclosure when disparate entities enact disparate portionsof the methodologies. Further yet, two or more of the disclosed examplemethods can be implemented in combination with each other, to accomplishone or more features or advantages described herein.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example methodology 800 for routing an ERP messageto an MES application. At 802, a message defining a business objectiveis received. In one or more embodiments, the message can be receivedfrom an ERP system or other planning system residing at a business levelof an enterprise. The business objective can comprise, for example, aproduction request, a financial goal, a customer order to be fulfilled,resource allocation requests, or other such requests requiring action ata plant-floor level. At 804, a location tag within the message can beidentified. The location tag can specify, for example, an MES systemcorresponding to a particular plant facility to which the message is tobe directed. Alternatively, the message can identify the facilityitself, one or more production areas within a facility, an applicationwithin the facility, or other such destination information. In suchcases, the MES system corresponding to the location identified by thelocation tag can be identified.

At 806, it is determined whether the message is in a format compatiblewith the MES system to receive the message. If not, the message istransformed to a format compatible with the MES system at 808. Forexample, message can be converted from b2MML format to a formatcompatible with JMS (Java Message Service) for transfer of the messageto the MES system. In one or more embodiments, this transformation canbe performed by an ERP gateway prior to delivery to the MES system. At810 the message is routed to the identified MES application. In one ormore embodiments, the message can be routed via a manufacturing servicesbus to which the MES application is subscribed.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example methodology 900 for routing a messagebased on a current control context. At 902, a message is receiveddefining a business objective. As in previous examples, the message canbe received from an ERP system. At 904, parameters of the businessobjective are identified in the message. For example, if the businessobjective is a customer order for a defined quantity of a specifiedproduct, parameters identified can include the specified product, thequantity, and any timeframe information included in the request (e.g., adeadline to fulfill the order). In another example, if the businessobjective is a mandate that production of a specified product is to begiven production priority given a defined energy constraint during peakenergy hours, the parameters can include the preferred product to beoptimized, the energy constraint (e.g., the maximum desired energyconsumption for the plant as a whole), and the hours for which theenergy constraint is to be in effect.

At 906, multiple MES applications are queried in order to determinecontrol contexts associated with the respective applications. Thiscontrol context information can include, for example, machine statusesand availability, facility or production line work schedules, resourceinventory statuses, energy constraints at a given facility, processcapabilities at the respective facilities or production lines, or othersuch control-level context information. At 908, one or more MESapplications capable of satisfying the business objective are selectedin view of a defined criterion. The defined criterion can include, forexample, a request to satisfy the business objective by the most energyefficient means, by the fastest means, etc.

At 910, a determination is made regarding whether the message is in aformat compatible with the selected one or more MES applications. Ifnot, the message is transformed to s suitable format at 912. At 914, themessage is routed to the one or more selected MES applications.

Embodiments, systems, and components described herein, as well asindustrial control systems and industrial automation environments inwhich various aspects set forth in the subject specification can becarried out, can include computer or network components such as servers,clients, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), communications modules,mobile computers, wireless components, control components and so forthwhich are capable of interacting across a network. Computers and serversinclude one or more processors—electronic integrated circuits thatperform logic operations employing electric signals—configured toexecute instructions stored in media such as random access memory (RAM),read only memory (ROM), a hard drives, as well as removable memorydevices, which can include memory sticks, memory cards, flash drives,external hard drives, and so on.

Similarly, the term PLC as used herein can include functionality thatcan be shared across multiple components, systems, and/or networks. Asan example, one or more PLCs can communicate and cooperate with variousnetwork devices across the network. This can include substantially anytype of control, communications module, computer, Input/Output (I/O)device, sensor, actuator, and human machine interface (HMI) thatcommunicate via the network, which includes control, automation, and/orpublic networks. The PLC can also communicate to and control variousother devices such as I/O modules including analog, digital,programmed/intelligent I/O modules, other programmable controllers,communications modules, sensors, actuators, output devices, and thelike.

The network can include public networks such as the internet, intranets,and automation networks such as control and information protocol (CIP)networks including DeviceNet, ControlNet, and Ethernet/IP. Othernetworks include Ethernet, DH/DH+, Remote I/O, Fieldbus, Modbus,Profibus, CAN, wireless networks, serial protocols, and so forth. Inaddition, the network devices can include various possibilities(hardware and/or software components). These include components such asswitches with virtual local area network (VLAN) capability, LANs, WANs,proxies, gateways, routers, firewalls, virtual private network (VPN)devices, servers, clients, computers, configuration tools, monitoringtools, and/or other devices.

With reference to FIG. 10, an example operating environment 1010 forimplementing various aspects of the aforementioned subject matterincludes a computer 1012. The computer 1012 includes a processing unit1014, a system memory 1016, and a system bus 1018. The system bus 918couples system components including, but not limited to, the systemmemory 1016 to the processing unit 1014. The processing unit 1014 can beany of various available processors. Dual microprocessors and othermultiprocessor architectures also can be employed as the processing unit1014.

The system bus 1018 can be any of several types of bus structure(s)including the memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus orexternal bus, and/or a local bus using any variety of available busarchitectures including, but not limited to, 8-bit bus, IndustrialStandard Architecture (ISA), Micro-Channel Architecture (MSA), ExtendedISA (EISA), Intelligent Drive Electronics (IDE), VESA Local Bus (VLB),Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), Universal Serial Bus (USB),Advanced Graphics Port (AGP), Personal Computer Memory CardInternational Association bus (PCMCIA), and Small Computer SystemsInterface (SCSI).

The system memory 1016 includes volatile memory 1020 and nonvolatilememory 1022. The basic input/output system (BIOS), containing the basicroutines to transfer information between elements within the computer1012, such as during start-up, is stored in nonvolatile memory 1022. Byway of illustration, and not limitation, nonvolatile memory 1022 caninclude read only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electricallyprogrammable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), or flashmemory. Volatile memory 1020 includes random access memory (RAM), whichacts as external cache memory. By way of illustration and notlimitation, RAM is available in many forms such as synchronous RAM(SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rateSDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), anddirect Rambus RAM (DRRAM).

Computer 1012 also includes removable/non-removable,volatile/non-volatile computer storage media. FIG. 10 illustrates, forexample a disk storage 1024. Disk storage 1024 includes, but is notlimited to, devices like a magnetic disk drive, floppy disk drive, tapedrive, Jaz drive, Zip drive, LS-100 drive, flash memory card, or memorystick. In addition, disk storage 1024 can include storage mediaseparately or in combination with other storage media including, but notlimited to, an optical disk drive such as a compact disk ROM device(CD-ROM), CD recordable drive (CD-R Drive), CD rewritable drive (CD-RWDrive) or a digital versatile disk ROM drive (DVD-ROM). To facilitateconnection of the disk storage 1024 to the system bus 1018, a removableor non-removable interface is typically used such as interface 1026.

It is to be appreciated that FIG. 10 describes software that acts as anintermediary between users and the basic computer resources described insuitable operating environment 1010. Such software includes an operatingsystem 1028. Operating system 1028, which can be stored on disk storage1024, acts to control and allocate resources of the computer 1012.System applications 1030 take advantage of the management of resourcesby operating system 1028 through program modules 1032 and program data1034 stored either in system memory 1016 or on disk storage 1024. It isto be appreciated that one or more embodiments of the subject disclosurecan be implemented with various operating systems or combinations ofoperating systems.

A user enters commands or information into the computer 1012 throughinput device(s) 1036. Input devices 1036 include, but are not limitedto, a pointing device such as a mouse, trackball, stylus, touch pad,keyboard, microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, TVtuner card, digital camera, digital video camera, web camera, and thelike. These and other input devices connect to the processing unit 1014through the system bus 1018 via interface port(s) 1038. Interfaceport(s) 1038 include, for example, a serial port, a parallel port, agame port, and a universal serial bus (USB). Output device(s) 1040 usesome of the same type of ports as input device(s) 1036. Thus, forexample, a USB port may be used to provide input to computer 1012, andto output information from computer 1012 to an output device 1040.Output adapter 1042 is provided to illustrate that there are some outputdevices 1040 like monitors, speakers, and printers, among other outputdevices, which require special adapters. The output adapters 1042include, by way of illustration and not limitation, video and soundcards that provide a means of connection between the output device 1040and the system bus 1018. It should be noted that other devices and/orsystems of devices provide both input and output capabilities such asremote computer(s) 1044.

Computer 1012 can operate in a networked environment using logicalconnections to one or more remote computers, such as remote computer(s)1044. The remote computer(s) 1044 can be a personal computer, a server,a router, a network PC, a workstation, a microprocessor based appliance,a peer device or other common network node and the like, and typicallyincludes many or all of the elements described relative to computer1012. For purposes of brevity, only a memory storage device 1046 isillustrated with remote computer(s) 1044. Remote computer(s) 1044 islogically connected to computer 1012 through a network interface 1048and then physically connected via communication connection 1050. Networkinterface 1048 encompasses communication networks such as local-areanetworks (LAN) and wide-area networks (WAN). LAN technologies includeFiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI), Copper Distributed DataInterface (CDDI), Ethernet/IEEE 802.3, Token Ring/IEEE 802.5 and thelike. WAN technologies include, but are not limited to, point-to-pointlinks, circuit switching networks like Integrated Services DigitalNetworks (ISDN) and variations thereon, packet switching networks, andDigital Subscriber Lines (DSL).

Communication connection(s) 1050 refers to the hardware/softwareemployed to connect the network interface 1048 to the system bus 1018.While communication connection 1050 is shown for illustrative clarityinside computer 1012, it can also be external to computer 1012. Thehardware/software necessary for connection to the network interface 1048includes, for exemplary purposes only, internal and externaltechnologies such as, modems including regular telephone grade modems,cable modems and DSL modems, ISDN adapters, and Ethernet cards.

FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram of a sample computing environment1100 with which the disclosed subject matter can interact. The samplecomputing environment 1100 includes one or more client(s) 1102. Theclient(s) 1102 can be hardware and/or software (e.g., threads,processes, computing devices). The sample computing environment 1100also includes one or more server(s) 1104. The server(s) 1104 can also behardware and/or software (e.g., threads, processes, computing devices).The servers 1104 can house threads to perform transformations byemploying one or more embodiments as described herein, for example. Onepossible communication between a client 1102 and a server 1104 can be inthe form of a data packet adapted to be transmitted between two or morecomputer processes. The sample computing environment 1100 includes acommunication framework 1106 that can be employed to facilitatecommunications between the client(s) 1102 and the server(s) 1104. Theclient(s) 1102 are operably connected to one or more client datastore(s) 1102 that can be employed to store information local to theclient(s) 1102. Similarly, the server(s) 1104 are operably connected toone or more server data store(s) 1104 that can be employed to storeinformation local to the servers 1104.

What has been described above includes examples of the subjectinnovation. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivablecombination of components or methodologies for purposes of describingthe disclosed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art mayrecognize that many further combinations and permutations of the subjectinnovation are possible. Accordingly, the disclosed subject matter isintended to embrace all such alterations, modifications, and variationsthat fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

In particular and in regard to the various functions performed by theabove described components, devices, circuits, systems and the like, theterms (including a reference to a “means”) used to describe suchcomponents are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, toany component which performs the specified function of the describedcomponent (e.g., a functional equivalent), even though not structurallyequivalent to the disclosed structure, which performs the function inthe herein illustrated exemplary aspects of the disclosed subjectmatter. In this regard, it will also be recognized that the disclosedsubject matter includes a system as well as a computer-readable mediumhaving computer-executable instructions for performing the acts and/orevents of the various methods of the disclosed subject matter.

In addition, while a particular feature of the disclosed subject mattermay have been disclosed with respect to only one of severalimplementations, such feature may be combined with one or more otherfeatures of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageousfor any given or particular application. Furthermore, to the extent thatthe terms “includes,” and “including” and variants thereof are used ineither the detailed description or the claims, these terms are intendedto be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising.”

In this application, the word “exemplary” is used to mean serving as anexample, instance, or illustration. Any aspect or design describedherein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred oradvantageous over other aspects or designs. Rather, use of the wordexemplary is intended to present concepts in a concrete fashion.

Various aspects or features described herein may be implemented as amethod, apparatus, or article of manufacture using standard programmingand/or engineering techniques. The term “article of manufacture” as usedherein is intended to encompass a computer program accessible from anycomputer-readable device, carrier, or media. For example, computerreadable media can include but are not limited to magnetic storagedevices (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strips . . . ), opticaldisks [e.g., compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk (DVD) . . . ],smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., card, stick, key drive . .. ).

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising: one or more memories thatstore executable components; and one or more processors, operativelycoupled to the one or more memories, that execute the executablecomponents, the executable components comprising one or moremanufacturing and execution system (MES) applications; and a gatewaycomponent configured to receive, from a remote device connected to aplant network, a message specifying a business objective, and to routethe message to an MES application selected from the one or more MESapplications, wherein the gateway component is configured to select theMES application based on the business objective, a constraint onperformance of the business objective defined by the message, and a timerange during which the constraint is in effect defined by the message,wherein the MES application is configured to match the businessobjective to an activity set that defines a workflow for one or morecontrol-level devices or business-level device and execute the workflow.2. The system of claim 1, further comprising an optimization componentconfigured to execute an algorithm that correlates the businessobjective with current control context information generated by the oneor more MES applications, wherein the current control contextinformation relates to current control contexts of one or moreindustrial systems associated with the one or more MES applications. 3.The system of claim 1, further comprising an optimization systemconfigured to generate, based one at least one of a neural network or aprocess model, a predicted value of a business-level variable or acontrol-level variable that is predicted to result from execution of thebusiness objective, and to generate recommendation data specifying arecommendation for optimizing the business-level variable or thecontrol-level variable based on the predicted value.
 4. The system ofclaim 1, further comprising a data historian component configured tostore the message in an archive of messages received by the gatewaycomponent.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more MESapplications are configured to monitor control data from respectiveindustrial control systems and to update, based on the control data, asystem model used by at least one of the one or more MES applications tomatch business objectives to activity sets.
 6. The system of claim 1,wherein the activity set defines the workflow as a series of functionsto be executed by one or more devices, and wherein the one or moredevices comprise one or more industrial devices or one or more businesssystems.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the MES application isconfigured to translate the workflow defined by the activity set into atleast one control instruction and to deploy the at least one controlinstruction to one or more industrial devices.
 8. The system of claim 1,wherein the business objective comprises at least one of a customerorder for a specified quantity of a specified product, a directive tominimize energy consumption by one or more industrial systems, adirective to maximize production of a specified product, or a resourceallocation instruction.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the MESapplication is configured to select the activity set matching thebusiness objective based on a current control context of one or moreindustrial systems associated with the MES application, the controlcontext comprising at least one of a machine status, a machineavailability, a work schedule for a production line, a resourceinventory status, an energy constraint at an industrial facility, or aprocess capability of a production line.
 10. The system of claim 1,wherein the constraint comprises at least one of a constraint on energyconsumption or another time range during which the business objective isto be carried out.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the gatewaycomponent is configured to select the MES application further based on alocation tag identifying at least one of a control system, a plantfacility, a production line, or a machine to be used to implement thebusiness objective.
 12. A method, comprising: receiving, by a systemcomprising one or more processors, a message from a remote deviceconnected to a plant network, the message specifying a businessobjective, a constraint on performance of the business objective, and atime range during which the constraint is valid; selecting, by thesystem, a manufacturing and execution system (MES) application, from aset of MES applications, based on the business objective, theconstraint, and the time range; matching, by the system, the businessobjective to an activity set of a set of activity sets, supported by theMES application, the activity set defining a workflow for one or morecontrol-level devices or business-level devices; and executing, by thesystem, the workflow.
 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:generating, by the system, a predicted value of a business-levelvariable or a control-level variable that is expected to result fromexecution of the business objective; and generating, by the system,recommendation data specifying a recommendation for optimizing thebusiness-level variable or the control-level variable based on thepredicted value.
 14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:monitoring, by the system, control data generated by industrial controlsystems respectively associated with the MES applications; and updating,by the system based on the control data, a model used by at least one ofthe set of MES applications to perform the matching.
 15. The method ofclaim 12, wherein the executing comprises: translating, by the system,the workflow defined by the activity set into at least one controlinstruction executable by one or more industrial devices; and sending,by the system, the at least one control instruction to the one or moreindustrial devices.
 16. The method of claim 12, wherein the receivingcomprises receiving the message specifying, as the business objective,at least one of a customer order for a specified quantity of a specifiedproduct, a directive to minimize energy consumption by one or moreindustrial systems, a directive to maximize production of a specifiedproduct, or a resource allocation instruction.
 17. The method of claim12, wherein the matching comprises selecting the activity set based on acurrent control context of one or more industrial systems associatedwith the MES application, the control context comprising at least one ofa machine status, a machine availability, a work schedule for aproduction line, a resource inventory status, an energy constraint at anindustrial facility, or a process capability of a production line.
 18. Anon-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon executableinstructions that, in response to execution, cause a system comprising aprocessor to perform operations, the operations comprising: receiving,from a remote device connected to a plant network, a message defining abusiness goal, at least one constraint on achievement of the businessgoal, and a time range during which the at least one constraint isactive; selecting a manufacturing and execution system (MES)application, from a set of MES applications, based on the business goal,the at least one constraint, and the time range; matching the businessgoal to an activity set, of a set of activity sets, supported by the MESapplication, the activity set defining a workflow for one or morecontrol-level devices or business-level devices; and executing theworkflow.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18,wherein the operations further comprise: predicting a value of abusiness-level variable or a control-level variable that is expected toresult from execution of the business goal; and generatingrecommendation data specifying a recommendation for optimizing thebusiness-level variable or the control-level variable based on thevalue.
 20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18,wherein the operations further comprise; monitoring control datagenerated by industrial control systems respectively associated with theset of MES applications; and updating, based on the control data, amodel used by the at least one MES application, of the set of MESapplications, to perform the matching.